If he were to become a real-life superhero, Stan Lee might be dubbed Mr. Marvel.

The writer, editor and publisher has built Marvel Comics into a pop-culture powerhouse while
co-creating Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and dozens of other
iconic characters.

His special power: imagination.

At age 90, Lee is still going strong with a slate of films, other projects and appearances —
such as a Saturday visit to the Wizard World Ohio Comic Con, an annual comic-book convention to
take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

The native of New York — a former Marvel Comics president and chairman — talked recently about
his characters and career.

Q: Why are superheroes so popular?

A: It’s a chance for people to use their imagination. After a while, you get tired of a cop
chasing a bad guy or the same old adventure or Western. But in a superhero story, you don’t know
what’s coming next. The characters are more colorful; the villains, more dangerous.

Q: You created Iron Man, the focus of the most popular movie ( Iron Man 3) of 2013. What
provided the foundation of his continuing appeal?

A: I based him on Howard Hughes, who was a glamorous multimillionaire, inventor and adventurer
the women were crazy about. He had a colorful life.

The men love Iron Man, and he’s probably our most popular character with females.

Q: Three Marvel movies have reached No. 1 at the U.S. box office — including The Avengers last
year and Spider-Man 3 (2007) — while Marvel superhero movies have been ranked among the top five
films at the U.S. box office in eight of the past 10 years. What makes Marvel stories such a
fertile film source?

A: They’re really fairy tales for grown-ups. Most kids love fairy tales, but you grow up and you
can’t read about monsters and giants anymore.

Along come these superhero stories, and I think they satisfy that longing for the same
excitement and enjoyment you had reading (comic books) as a kid.

Q: Of your characters, who is your favorite?

A: I love them all because I think of them as my children. I have a slight bit more fondness for
Spider-Man because he’s become so popular all over the world. I think I’m proudest of him because
he’s as recognizable as Mickey Mouse.

Q: What is the crucial ingredient in creating a memorable superhero?

A: The reader has to be able to relate to the character and believe there could be such a
person. No matter how farfetched the power is, the character’s own personality and motivations . . .
have to be believable and compelling.

Q: You were the first to create a superhero with a flawed humanity, right?

A: I always tried to write the kind of stories that I myself would like to read. I like to read
stories about people I can believe in. So I try to give all my characters a flaw. They’re not
cardboard. It was easy with Tony Stark (Iron Man).

I know nobody is perfect. I hate to say it, but I’m probably not perfect myself.